Help me figure out what killed this hen.......GRAPHIC PICS!!!!!

[Lbrad7]

It is a hawk attack. You would do well to keep your birds up for a few days to see if it will move on. If not; you can expect to find another identical scene in the coming days. If the food source is steady they will return over and over until they have eaten all of your birds or your birds are put into a covered pen/run.

Good luck to you...

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

I think broad shouldered hawks eat birds like that, but I am not sure.

 

[rearrolled]

h hawk with all those feathers

 

[terrilhb]

I am so sorry for your loss. I am new at this and can not help or give an opionion. Just want to say again So sorry

 

[powelljessie]

definatelly a hawk. Sorry about your loss.

 

[Luvroos]

Not sure what killed her but, sorry for your loss! By the way, not sure what state you are in however here in Va. if you are registered with the state you are allowed to shoot and kill hawks if your chickens are your sole source of income regardless of the fact that they are federally protected. Vutures are protected also and I would not put this past them either. I have a school of them that fly over quite often and get a little close at times while admiring my flock of chickens maybe 30 feet up in the air and sometimes lower. I had spoken to Jeff Raumbaugh with Birds of Prey division at the extension office a while back regarding hawks and other pests and he is the one that had informed me that I can shoot them if all of the above were in place.

I had also read an article yesterday about how a large group of vultures, 50 or so, had hung around a womans house in Stauntan Va and the game warden had to kill a dozen or more for 2 or 3 consequtive Mondays and Tuesdays due to their killing one of their own and leaving it in this persons yard for a 9 year old to find. The article stated that vultures are vicious birds and if they kill calves and such while being born whos to say that they will never touch a chicken, duck, turkey or other barn yard animals when desperate for food! I wouldn't trust them either and my flock do not seem to fear them in which concerns me so since there are so many of these nasty birds.

By the way, I've had raccoon, as per game warden, or an owl gut a duck before and left the head in place as well as had accomplished a very clean job while feathers were left intact on the duck!

 

[darkmatter]

Could also be a dog attack, look for prints.

This was a night time Owl attack:

 

[willkatdawson]

Thanks y'all for helping figure it out. i was really worried it might be a hawk. The flock was in their covered run today, and not happy at all about it. I just took some rice down to them and they seem really freaked out, so I'm thinking the hawk may have been by again. There's no way it can get to them in the run though.

 

[Luvroos]

I'd keep them in the run for a while in order to allow the hawk know that it will not get anymore or it will stick around and watch you and them both until the next time is right for it!

 

[willkatdawson]

Quote:
I think you're right. They just will have to stay in the run. They're not happy about it and either am I, but that's the only way I can think of to keep them safe. I watched hawks in action yesterday on Youtube, and it really brought home just what killing machines they are. I was comforted in my mind thinking it must have killed the hen quickly, but I was wrong. It can take a long time for them to actually kill the chicken. It must have been an awful way to have died.